Pasadena Public Health Department Affirms Cyclospora Spread Across U.S. Not Evident Locally

A parasite that thrives in contaminated produce has made thousands of Americans sick this summer. In California, health officials have a different message: not here — at least not yet.

Pasadena’s Public Health Department relayed a federal advisory on cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora, as case counts climb across much of the country. The notice the department posted on July 14 came from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The reassuring local note came separately: on the same day, the California Department of Public Health said the state is not among those seeing an increase, and has recorded fewer cases so far this year than at the same point in 2025 — a message the City of Pasadena also shared on its social media accounts.

The illness spreads when people consume food or water contaminated with feces, most often through fresh produce, and it is not usually passed from person to person. Symptoms typically begin about a week after exposure and can include frequent watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, bloating, nausea and fatigue.

Nationally, the numbers are striking. As of late July, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 6,700 confirmed cases acquired within the United States since May 1, along with more than 11,500 additional illnesses still under investigation across 45 states. Federal and state investigators have tied a nine-state cluster to iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico, which recalled all of its central-Mexico iceberg lettuce on July 17. The FDA has since told Taylor Farms that a positive Cyclospora test on its lettuce was an error, according to reporting, though the CDC continues to cite iceberg lettuce as the source and the recall remains in effect. The CDC has said it is aware of two related deaths in Michigan, both in people with underlying health conditions.

California’s picture looks different. From January through June, the state reported 41 provisional cases, compared with 80 during the same period in 2025, according to the state health department. Its annual average from 2015 to 2025 was 106 cases. Most California cases, officials said, are linked to recent international travel rather than local exposure.

“It’s important to understand that California experiences cases of cyclosporiasis every year, with a majority of cases acquired internationally,” said Dr. Erica Pan, director and state public health officer at the California Department of Public Health. “Cases for 2026 are well within expected ranges for California, and we are not currently one of the states experiencing increased cases or an outbreak.”

Pan added that the state is watching the national situation. “We are aware of the outbreaks affecting other states, however, and are closely monitoring for any signs of local acquired infection,” she said.

The parasite is easy to underestimate. “You don’t need to ingest much of it, actually, for it to cause an infection in the small intestine,” Dr. Jonathan Pham, an infectious disease specialist with Loma Linda University Health, told ABC7.

The precautions officials recommend are the ordinary rhythms of a kitchen. In guidance shared on the City of Pasadena’s social media accounts, residents are urged to wash fresh fruits and vegetables under running water before eating, cutting or cooking; to wash their hands with soap and water before and after handling produce; and to cook produce to at least 158 degrees to kill the parasite. State health officials add that firm produce like melons should be scrubbed, that outer leaves of leafy greens should be discarded, and that vulnerable groups — older adults, young children, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems — should cook vegetables and herbs when practical. Anyone with diarrhea lasting more than a few days should contact a health care provider.

There is a limit to what a rinse can do. In its advisory, the CDC cautioned that chemically disinfecting or sanitizing produce might not fully eliminate Cyclospora, and urged thorough washing even of items labeled pre-washed — a reminder that the safest produce is handled carefully at every step, not just at the sink.

Residents can find the department’s full guidance at bit.ly/CyclosporaInfo or by calling the City Service Center at (626) 744-7311.

For now, the advice traveling from Washington to Sacramento to Pasadena is the same one a parent has always given at the kitchen sink: wash it first.